


A Series of Unfortunate Freakouts

by sburbanite



Category: Homestuck
Genre: First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Meteorstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-05-26 08:07:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6230713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sburbanite/pseuds/sburbanite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The road to true love is paved with mental breakdowns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Can you just get the fuck out of my hair for five minutes?" 

The words sounded a lot harsher than Karkat intended, but they're out in the open now, hanging awkwardly in the air of his respiteblock. Dave had shrugged and shuffled out without a word, and Karkat realized with a sinking feeling that the relief of being alone after 16 straight hours of intense paltime probably wasn't worth the way Dave held himself ramrod straight as he left, trying and failing to disguise how hurt he was. For a moment, Karkat considered chasing him down and explaining that he just needed to be alone to read and chill without feeling like he has to entertain someone else, but he wasn’t sure if it would only make things worse. For all his stoic facade, Dave could be as sensitive as a newborn grub when it came to dealing with other people. 

Sighing as he leant back and cracked the spine of his book, Karkat decided to let it be for now. Maybe Strider wouldn't overreact this time. There's a first time for everything, after all. 

Unfortunately for all involved, it wasn't this time. After asking Dave to leave, Karkat failed to catch so much as a glimpse of cape or shades for three days, despite camping out in the common area and keeping a watchful eye on the kitchen. Not content with merely avoiding Karkat, conversations with Rose and Terezi revealed that Dave sightings were scarce across the entire meteor. Putting his book down and glancing at the thermal hull for the hundredth time today, Karkat decided that he can handle Dave hiding like a wiggler in his room, but not the implications for Dave’s mood. Either Dave is fast enough that he could slip in and out without leaving so much as a blurred red afterimage, or he hasn't been eating. 

Karkat had thus far pretended not to notice the strange little stockpile of snacks in Dave's room, half-hidden under a mound of old clothes. He hadn’t planned on making an issue out of it; after all, everyone on the meteor had some kind of strange coping mechanism. On the other hand, this was getting serious. There had been nowhere near food enough in Dave’s hoard to last for _days_ , and most of it was all processed crap with a nutritional value in the single digits. Strider must be practically starving by now, and in Karkat’s opinion, for no good reason. Cursing under his breath as he felt the unmistakable stirrings of concern and guilt in his think-pan, Karkat extracted himself from the common room couch and set off toward Dave's block. If the idiot wasn't going to look after himself, then Karkat would just have to threaten and cajole him into it. 

Banging on the locked door to Dave's room had achieved nothing but bruised knuckles, so Karkat decided to change tack and bother him on trollian instead. Dave always seems much more comfortable speaking through red text, even after months of their deepening friendship. 

carcinoGeneticist [CG] began pestering  turntechGodhead [TG]

CG: DAVE. I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE SO LET ME THE FUCK IN.  
CG: AND DON'T YOU DARE EVEN THINK ABOUT BLOCKING ME.  
CG: WHAT CRAWLED INTO YOUR THINK-PAN THAT MADE YOU THINK HIDING OUT IN YOUR RESPITEBLOCK FOREVER WAS A VIABLE PLAN?  
CG: DAVE.  
CG: I'M NOT GOING AWAY.  
CG: TRUST ME, WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH TRUCULENT, SELF-DESTRUCTIVE ASSHOLES, I WROTE THE FUCKING BOOK.  
CG: IT'S A VERY LONG, VERY BORING BOOK, AND I WILL START READING IT ALOUD AT FULL VANTAS VOLUME OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR IF YOU DON'T OPEN UP.  
CG: *YOU* MIGHT NOT CARE WHETHER YOU STARVE TO DEATH IN THERE OR SUFFOCATE ON THE STENCH OF YOUR UNWASHED CARCASS, BUT I FUCKING DO.  
TG: jeez karkat  
TG: chill out  
TG: im fine i just had my headphones on is all  
TG: i mustve missed you trying to cave in my poor innocent door with your angry little fists  
TG: what did it ever do to you except shield your eyes from the sheer intensity of my rad presence  
CG: YEAH, YEAH.  
CG: YOU CAN CUT OUT THE "I'M FINE DAWG JUST BEEN CHILLING IN MY CRIB YO DIGGITY" COOLKID BULLSHIT.  
TG: i have never said  
TG: and will never say  
TG: "yo diggity"  
TG: what do you take me for karkat  
CG: DON'T TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT YOU PUCKERED SPHINCTER ON THE ASS OF PARADOX SPACE.  
CG: NOBODY'S SEEN YOU IN DAYS.  
CG: LET ME THE FUCK IN, OR I SWEAR I WILL FETCH YOUR HATCHMATE TO MERCILESSLY DECONSTRUCT YOUR PSYCHE UNTIL YOU UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING A BASIC LEVEL OF CARE OF YOURSELF.  
TG: threatening me with rose is a low blow dude  
TG: i thought we were bros  
CG: SO HELP ME, I WILL DO IT.  
CG: I WILL ENDURE THE RELENTLESS WAGGLING OF HER EYEBROWS OVER WHY THE FUCK I CARE SO MUCH, OR EVEN THE SMUG LITTLE SMIRK SHE GETS WHEN SHE KNOWS SHE'S RIGHT ABOUT SOMETHING.  
CG: OF COURSE IF WE WERE AS GOOD "BROS", AS YOU PROCLAIM US TO BE, THEN YOU WOULDN'T FUCKING MAKE ME.  
TG: well damn  
TG: checkmate  
TG: were at an impalsse huh  
CG: STOP MAKING LAME PUNS AND OPEN UP.  
TG: you got it man  
TG: bropen sesame  
CG: GODDAMNIT, STRIDER.  


carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased pestering  turntechGodhead [TG]

Dave looks better than Karkat had expected, although with his tendency to worry and his vague knowledge of human physiology he'd expected Dave to be halfway to decomposition by now. Admittedly, the greasy sheen on his hair suggested that he'd been avoiding the ablution trap, and Karkat would be willing to bet there were dark circles the size of human 'Texas' behind his stupid shades, if the way Dave was swaying slightly on his feet was any indication. Karkat rolled his eyes, exasperated. 

“What the actual fuck, Strider? What gives you the right to just give up and let yourself starve to death? I know you’re technically immortal, but if you mope yourself to death it’ll be fucking just.” 

Dave shrugged, his body an impassive wall of calm in the face of Karkat’s tirade. 

“Dude, I’m fine. Calm the fuck down.” 

It takes Karkat a minute to realize that his hands have balled themselves into tight fists of irritation. Grinding his teeth, Karkat forced himself to calm his breathing to match Dave’s frustratingly even rhythm. 

"Look, when I asked you to fuck off for a bit, I just meant until tomorrow, you pitiful excuse for a braindead moron. I didn't mean fucking _forever_." 

Whilst looking vaguely amused at the use of the word 'pitiful', Dave seemed to at least be trying to keep his snark in check until Karkat was finished berating him. When it dawned on him that Karkat was waiting for a response, however, all trace of Dave’s cockiness evaporated like morning dew in the Houston sun. 

"Dude, you asked me to go, so I left. Now you're pissed that I didn't come back? Talk about mixed signals, Karkat. I just figured you'd had enough Strider, is all. Not everyone can handle this level of sheer awesome for an extended period of time. I should come with a limit like a goddamned tanning bed, to make sure the masses don't go blind from exposure to my gorgeous ass." 

The words seemed like they _should_ be cheerful, but the delivery was dead-flat. Even worse, Karkat couldn’t fail to notice Dave staring intently at the floor, even behind the shades. Karkat pinched the bridge of his nose, filled to the brim with frustration, because obviously Strider had gotten the wrong end of a stick so long it could be used to poke the distant form of Bec Noir. 

"There's something wrong with you, I swear to god, if you think you're the most irritating sack of shit I've ever had to deal with. I know that's what you mean with all of that 'you can't handle me' hoofbeast crap. You're worried I'm going to get sick of you or something." 

Dave's silence and carefully curated blank expression were, in Karkat’s expert opinion, a resounding confirmation that he'd hit the hive-building pin squarely on the head. 

"Speaking as someone who managed to be friends with Eridan fucking Ampora, the Crown Prince of attention-seeking hipster douchebags, you don't even come close. I just..." 

Frowning, Karkat searched his mind for the most tactful way to express that he occasionally just needed some peace and quiet; a break from the endless rambling. 

"Don't you ever need some 'alone time?'" 

Dave grinned, unable to resist such an easy target. Even Karkat would admit to basically handing that one to Strider on a nutrition plateaux. 

"Not like _that_ , fuckhead. You can wipe that dirty smile off your face and fling the rag you used to do so into the furthest ring. Just, you know...time to chill out. On your own." 

Dave shrugged uncomfortably. 

"I guess." 

Looking down at the floor again, Dave avoided Karkat’s frown while deciding whether to keep talking or leave the obvious lie hanging. Karkat was surprised and strangely proud when Dave sucked in a lungful of air and continued. 

"I mean, not really, tbh. My Bro wasn't around that much growing up, so I guess I've had enough 'alone time' to keep me going for pretty much forever. It's kinda nice, y'know?Finally having people around. I didn't mean to, like, crowd you or whatever, I just like hanging out. You don't have to entertain my sorry ass, and I'll gtfo any time you want to kick me out." 

Karkat nodded an acknowledgement, cementing the deal. It was obvious from Dave's words that he hated being alone, that his tendency to bug people twenty-four-seven was more defence mechanism than offence-causing mechanism, whatever its actual result. In that moment, the first one he'd shared with Dave where he finally felt like he was getting through to the _real_ Dave Strider, Karkat most likely failed to keep the satisfaction from showing on his face. He also spectacularly failed to care. Even so, Karkat would admit that things were more than a little awkward now; with the two of them just standing there ignoring the fuck out of the newfound closeness between them. On the other hand, it was still better than Dave punishing himself for an imaginary problem. 

Dave cleared his throat, forcing out the word: "Movie?" 

"Fuck yes," Karkat replied, infinitely relieved. 

Karkat made sure to alchemize an even more enormous pile of snacks than usual, and smiled in the darkness as Dave munched his way through them, commentating on how stupid the plot was and occasionally asking questions so basic a wiggler would be embarrassed to admit to them. 

For once, Karkat decided to just let him talk.


	2. Chapter 2

Karkat Vantas _loved_ rom-coms. That fact was self-evident to anyone who'd ever met him, but as Dave watched him fight valiantly against sleep just to see Dane Cook kiss some airheaded actress, Dave realized that he’d never loved anything as passionately as Karkat loved dumb movies about fake relationships. He’d watch for hours as the leads inevitably fell in love, smiling as they did romantic bullshit, frowning as they inevitably fought, and wiping away beads of moisture from his eyes that Dave graciously pretended not to notice as the credits rolled. It was fascinating, watching someone _care_ so much, watching as Karkat’s emotions crashed across his face as he yelled and flailed at the idiots on screen for misunderstanding each other’s feelings. Compared with the other people that Dave knew, Karkat was as uncompromising and open as an emotional battering ram. 

Dave was pretty sure that his Bro had _liked_ stuff; he had certainly gotten mad if Dave touched his turntables or his katana. Sometimes, Dave wondered if Bro would have cared half as much if anyone had touched _him_. Dave highly doubted, but on the other hand, he did invest a lot of time in teaching Dave to defend himself. That was something, even if it wasn’t _love_. 

The only thing Dave was certain Bro had had some sort of affection for was his creepy-ass puppet-bro. That was hardly surprising; Lil’ Cal had been by Bro’s side for his entire life, as far as Dave could remember. As the months of puppet-free time passed, Dave had slowly come to hate Cal with a passion, and not just out of misplaced jealousy. Thinking back, he had occasionally felt the cold gaze of those glass eyes boring into his back when Bro wasn’t around, as if the puppet was trying to hate him to death without even moving. 

Shuddering, Dave mentally dragged himself away from that particular emotional rabbit-hole, before looking over at Karkat, whose chin was sinking slowly onto his chest. Karkat's head kept jerking up as he fought against sleep, earning a small, unconscious smile from Dave as he watched him lose the battle with oblivion. It was weirdly nice when Karkat sighed unexpectedly and happily as the sassy best friend on screen made an amusingly cutting comment. _Karkat wishes he was someone’s sassy, know-it-all best friend_ Dave thinks, still smiling, _just so he could rub their noses in it when they get together with their obvious crush. I guess he kind of is my sassy best friend, though, not that I'd ever admit it to him._

After another ten minutes of some of the most banal cinema Dave had ever witnessed, Karkat finally gave up the fight and began snoring loudly through the rest of the movie. Were it up to Dave, he’d have stopped the DVD there and then - possibly nudging Karkat until he was lying down and could actually get some decent sleep - but whenever Dave shifted in his seat, Karkat began to frown and fidget. The movie was boring, but it was probably better to endure it and let the Meteor’s resident insomniac sleep than selfishly wake him up by trying to escape it. 

Dave was in the middle of a text conversation with Terezi when Karkat fidgeted and stretched, before slumping down sideways into Dave’s lap. Karkat had been leaning on his shoulder, which was fine, sort of, although his horn kept jabbing him in the jaw, but this was something else entirely. Karkat’s face was still turned toward the screen (seemingly watching the dull-ass movie, even through his eyelids), but his friend’s head was still worryingly close to Dave’s junk. At least, with Karkat pillowing his head on Dave’s thigh, no-one was getting poked by anything anymore. 

_It’s fine, It’s fine,_ Dave told himself, feeling his hands start to sweat where they were trying to get as far away from Karkat as possible, _It’s just like a fucking sleepover or some bullshit from one of his movies, there’s absolutely nothing bad about having Karkat nestle himself down into your fucking lap like he’s a goddamned kitten. You can be the brotherhood of the pants that stay exactly where they fucking are at all times, and on no account go travelling anywhere. You can do this, you can do this, it’s not like you haven’t put your feet up on him a hundred times before or hugged the shit out of Rose until she asked you to stop, so why the fuck can’t you breathe right?_

Eventually, after it became clear that Karkat was out for the count and the actors on the screen had finally stopped sucking on each other’s faces, Dave finally began to relax. A dude had been using Dave’s lap as a snuggle-zone for ten minutes, at least, and the most terrible thing that had happened was his leg going to sleep. It was…fine. Safe. Not scary. Slowly, Dave’s breathing evened out, and his thoughts settled down from a jangling cloud of panic to a more orderly chaos. This was…kind of nice. Karkat was heavy, sure, but he was warm too, and that was something not to be sniffed at in the cold air of the Meteor. His squeaky, raspy snoring was also adorable as shit. In a purely platonic way, of course. Dave laughed quietly as the thought occurred that Karkat was just as ear-blastingly loud whether he was awake or asleep. 

His hair looked soft. With the movie back at the menu screen, there really wasn’t much else to do other than look at Karkat, so Dave was forced to admit it. His hair looked soft as fuck. Karkat never seemed to mind the way it stuck out all over the place like an angry little sunflower, which was yet another thing Dave found perplexing. It took Dave a good half-hour to get his ‘do looking perfect, and there was no way he’d go wandering around looking like he’d slept upside-down in a hedge. On one memorable occasion, there had been a piece of popcorn stuck in Karkat’s unholy thatch for _six hours_ before Karkat noticed (the result of him scattering the bowl in frustration at another idiotic, unnecessary plot-twist). Instead of being embarrassed about it, he’d just shrugged, picked it out and eaten it. 

Dave didn’t reach out and touch Karkat’s hair, no matter how soft it looked, because hair-stroking was one uncomfortable step too far from platonic bro-ing around, especially considering he was essentially watching Karkat sleep. Instead, Dave’s head snapped up, his eyes fixed on his phone as he scrambled to re-start his stupid conversation with Terezi. Except, of course, by this point she’d already gotten bored and left, probably to do something incomprehensible with Vriska that involved a lot of snarky giggling and running around. _What’s with all of the girls pairing up?_ Dave wondered, _does this stupid meteor emit some kind of gay-inducing science rays?_

None of this was taking his mind off the fact that Karkat was snuggling down into his leg, and he was going to have to pee sometime in the near future. That was the reason he needed to leave, naturally, and it definitely had nothing to do with the way Karkat had started making little high pitched whining noises in the back of his throat. 

For a horrific few seconds, the thought occurred to Dave that Karkat might be having some kind of sex dream, and he had to hold back from leaping right off the couch and tumbling him onto the floor. After careful consideration of the noises Karkat was making, Dave concluded that they weren’t exactly happy, though. When Karkat's breathing turned rapid and uneven, it became obvious he was having a nightmare. A pretty bad one, too, if the way he was twitching and frowning was anything to go by. Figuring that it was probably OK to touch Karkat to try and calm him down or wake him up, Dave held his breath and put his hand lightly on Karkat’s shoulder. Feeling Karkat relax under his touch was strangely satisfying, although whatever was happening in his nightmare was still sending little shivers through his body. 

The decision of whether or not to wake Karkat turned out to be a moot one. After a particularly violent shudder, Dave felt Karkat’s claws tearing into his leg as he flailed himself violently awake. 

“WHAT THE FUCK!?” Karkat snarled, as Dave shoved him back into the sofa cushions. 

“What the fuck to you too, asshole?!” Dave yelled in reply, gesturing at his bloodied leg. “This is the thanks I get for letting you use me as a pillow?” 

Karkat’s eyes widened with shock, his pupils locked on Dave’s thigh like it was the centre of the universe. Dave remembered belatedly that Karkat always freaked out at the sight of blood, and grudgingly did his best to cover the wound with his cape. 

“OH SHIT, FUCK… SORRY.” 

Dave could see Karkat fighting to control his volume, somewhat unsuccessfully. Were it not for the pain In his leg, it would have been hilarious. 

“I THOUGHT you WERE…someone else.” 

“Someone who deserved to be clawed to death by an angry midget?” Dave asked, still smarting. 

“YES! NO! Maybe! I don’t fucking know, alright? I…never mind, OK? Sorry.” 

Dave winced as he unwrapped his thigh, revealing shallow scratches rather than deep gashes. Although it hurt, it really wasn't that bad. Practically zero on the Strider scale of bodily harm. It certainly wasn't bad enough to warrant the look of utter horror on Karkat’s face. 

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it, you were just surprised is all,” Dave smiled at Karkat, trying to prevent him from panicking. It seemed to be working, much to his relief. 

“I hate being woken up too, man. Sleep is my natural state of being, and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise. Speaking of which, I’m gonna go to bed. I suggest you do the same, dude. Maybe you’ll sleep better on your pile of crummy romance novels than drooling on my leg.” 

Hesitantly, Dave ruffled Karkat’s hair as he walked past; letting him know there were no hard feelings. He was right, after all; Karkat’s hair really was soft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aah, all the fun of waking up and mistaking your new best friend for your murderous ex-morail.
> 
> Go and see Karkat's pile of romance novels for realsies in the excellent part 2 to Meteorbound[...If you haven't been playing through Meteorbound, what have you been doing with yourselves??](http://dyonoi.tumblr.com/post/141218278758/dyonoi-meteorbound-part-2-a-walkaround)


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you think it feels like to die?" 

Karkat stopped gazing out into the vast eternity of the void and fixed Dave with a glare. His tone was much too flippant for such a serious question; Dave's tendency to speak in a conversational monotone could be infuriating at times. 

"You know what it feels like, assmunch. Didn't you die more than anyone in your fuckup of a session?" 

Dave snorted, air whistling out into the pseudo-atmosphere of the meteor exterior in two plumes of vapour. It felt cold out here to Karkat, who grew up beneath the soft moonlight of Alternia. Given the unholy heat he was used to in his hive back on Earth, Dave must be freezing his shame-globes off. 

"Nah, man. I think John took the prize there." 

His smile vanished as he spoke, and Karkat felt the familiar wheels of anxiety begin turning in his chest. For once, Dave didn't seem to be joking around. 

"I dunno. I don't mean the sensation of dying, cause that's pretty much just a lot of pain and then no pain at all. I meant... after that." 

Karkat opened his mouth to point out that they had _literally visited the afterlife and talked to ghosts_ , when Dave raised a hand to cut him off. He needed a  minute, and Karkat had learned that Dave became much more coherent if given some time to think before he spoke. He shifted his head on Dave's rolled-up cape, which was not doing as good a job of acting as a pillow as Dave had led him to believe. It was more like resting his head on a lumpy roll of floor-covering fabric. After a few seconds of silence, Dave gestured expansively at the dreamubbles studding the void like coloured pearls on black velvet. 

"All of those dead guys, I mean, they don't just last forever, right? I'm pretty sure these weird afterlifey bubbles are, like, part of the game. After the credits roll and the insert coin screen shows up...I dunno...do you think we'll just stop existing?" 

Karkat’s frown wasn't exactly an answer, but it was enough to let Dave know he wasn't on the same page. 

"If we lose...or if we win...but like, not all of us make it. What happens to the ones who bite the dust?" 

Dave took a deep breath, sounding as though he was trying very hard to control his breathing. 

"If I don't make it...if I die...what do you think will happen to my...soul...or whatever? Y'know...the non-meat bit of me." 

"Why are you even talking about this?" 

Hearing Dave question his own survival, his own skill at fighting, was jarring. Dave was usually so sure of himself, at least of his physical abilities, and Karkat had sparred with him once or twice before. He was nigh-on unstoppable with a blade, even without using his time powers. 

"You're not going to die, Dave. You'll be fine. I can't imagine an enemy powerful enough to cut through that layer of irony you use as a defense mechanism, let alone kill you." 

Dave's laugh was hollow this time. 

"I've seen myself die enough times to know that's bullshit." 

"Yeah, when you were a thirteen-year-old mortal idiot. You're fucking immortal now, numbnuts. I could kill you right now and you'd just royal rainbow yourself back to life." 

Dave laughed for real that time, presumably remembering Karkat’s most recent katamari-based tantrum. 

"Ha ha, yeah. I'd be pretty pissed at you though." 

Karkat watched him pull his lower lip between his teeth. One of the non-standard Strider-expressions, and a bad one at that. 

"I just...I think I'm probably not needed...y'know. In the new session. I'm supposed to be a knight, which is pretty much by definition someone who protects important shit. And in my case that's making sure the timeline doesn't fall apart at the worst possible moment like a poorly made sex-swing. But in the new session...the timeline just does its own thing on autopilot...and like...your creepy friend is a maid, right? She's literally made of time, if the shitty pun-based class system is any indication. Because why _wouldn't_ puns be the most fundamental form of humor in the universe? Split the most complex atoms of satire down to their base components and all of these godawful puns come flying out to fuck up your day." 

Dave rolled his hand in midair, a gesture that seemed to help him get back on track. 

"I just mean, John's the heir, right? I'm guessing that literally means he's supposed to inherit the new universe. Rose is a seer, pretty fuckin useful for guiding everyone. Jade's a witch, which I guess means she can do whatever she wants with space...that seems pretty necessary in a universe composed entirely _of_ space. Me...I feel like I'm pretty much destined to get my ticket punched ...probably heroically defending someone from a fatal kick to the groin, knowing my luck. Which sounds kinda romantic until you realize it means I'm still fucking dead as a result." 

Karkat balled his fists, trying to quell the rage boiling up inside him. Dave's self-indulgent ramble had carelessly stomped all over Karkats own insecurities without a second thought. Just when he though Strider had actually started to consider other people's feelings, he'd go and do something like this. 

"First of all, fuck you." 

Karkat pushed himself up into a sitting position to better look down his nose at Dave's impassive face. 

"Did you forget that I'm supposed to be a fucking knight too? And who the hell am I going to be able to protect, exactly?" 

Karkat jabbed a finger into Dave’s chest, squarely in the middle of his stupid god-tier symbol. 

"Nobody, that's who! I get to either watch my friends die, knowing I can do _nothing to stop it_ , or die myself when one of those invincible assholes so much as sneezes on me, so FUCK YOU, you arrogant piece of human garbage!" 

Panting slightly with repressed fury, Karkat attempted to scramble to his feet, to get out of here before he succumbed to the urge to punch Strider in his stupid smug face. Except...it wasn't looking so smug right now. Dave was frowning, the edges of his mouth turned down. 

Karkat jumped slightly when he felt Dave's hand on his. Not holding it, just resting on top, as if pleading with him to stay put. 

"M'sorry." 

The apology is quiet, but it's enough. 

"I...I didn't think man, OK? I'm an idiot sometimes, sorry." 

Karkat looked silently out into the void, trying to calm himself down. He let Dave continue, hoping he'd manage to say something that would make him feel better. 

"But...that shit you said isn't true. We fucking need you, Karkat...all of us do. You keep us together, I guess." 

Dave took a deep breath. 

"And...I'll fucking make sure you don't die. You can take that to the fucking bank and start an account, get some interest on it, because everyone here would say the same damn thing." 

In the half-light of the bubbles, Dave's face was difficult to read. Karkat slumped back down again, his hand still trapped beneath Dave's. He wondered how Dave would react if he tried to hold it, but before he could do anything the fleeting contact was over and Dave's hand was snapping back to rest on his own chest again. 

"That's exactly the problem, Dave," Karkat sighed, "I'm a fucking liability and I'm going to get someone else killed. I can't live with that." 

"You won't." 

Dave sounded so sure of himself, but Karkat had no idea why. 

"You won't get anyone killed. That's not you, you don't do shit like that. And anyway...it's all still a fucking year away. I shouldn't have brought it up. I dunno why but these freaky-ass deathbubbles make me feel morbid as hell." 

"Let's go inside then, you're the one who wanted to come out here in the first place." 

"Yeah. Another brilliant Strider-plan. We'll call this one a failed experiment, I guess, I just thought it might be a nice place to hang out." 

He waved an arm absentmindedly at the distant, drifting colours of the passing dreambubbles. 

"These are kinda pretty, though." 

"Yeah. They are." 

Karkat sighed, getting to his feet and offering Dave a hand up. 

"They're pretty as fuck but my ass is freezing. Let's go inside."

Dave nodded, taking Karkat’s hand. As usual, he let go pretty quickly once he was upright, but Karkat was sure he saw Dave hesitate before doing so. 

Instead of taking Karkat’s hand again, Dave wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him toward the nearest hatch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the author gets her Dave-fears out there before 4/13. I don't actually think Hussie will kill off Dave...doesn't mean I don't worry about it though.

**Author's Note:**

> Another short Meteorfic...kind of short, anyway.
> 
> And an experiment with past tense writing.


End file.
